"lay down the marker" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "lays down the marker",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "laying down the marker",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "laid down the marker",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "laid down the marker",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "lay<,,laid> down the marker",
        "head": "lay down the marker"
      },
      "expansion": "lay down the marker (third-person singular simple present lays down the marker, present participle laying down the marker, simple past and past participle laid down the marker)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011 August 7, Chris Bevan, “Man City 2 - 3 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport",
          "text": "City held firm and even threatened to retake the lead when Adam Johnson tested De Gea, but it was United who laid down the marker for the forthcoming Premier League campaign, beginning the defence of their title by collecting more silverware.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To set the standard."
      ],
      "id": "en-lay_down_the_marker-en-verb-1pkZUK5k",
      "links": [
        [
          "standard",
          "standard"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To set the standard."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "set the pace"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "lay down a marker"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-lay down the marker.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ee/En-au-lay_down_the_marker.ogg/En-au-lay_down_the_marker.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/En-au-lay_down_the_marker.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "lay down the marker"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "lays down the marker",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "laying down the marker",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "laid down the marker",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "laid down the marker",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "lay<,,laid> down the marker",
        "head": "lay down the marker"
      },
      "expansion": "lay down the marker (third-person singular simple present lays down the marker, present participle laying down the marker, simple past and past participle laid down the marker)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "set the pace"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011 August 7, Chris Bevan, “Man City 2 - 3 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport",
          "text": "City held firm and even threatened to retake the lead when Adam Johnson tested De Gea, but it was United who laid down the marker for the forthcoming Premier League campaign, beginning the defence of their title by collecting more silverware.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To set the standard."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "standard",
          "standard"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To set the standard."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-lay down the marker.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ee/En-au-lay_down_the_marker.ogg/En-au-lay_down_the_marker.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/En-au-lay_down_the_marker.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "lay down a marker"
    }
  ],
  "word": "lay down the marker"
}